“The Chetco should be high enough to float with a drift boat by the weekend, although bobber restrictions remain in place until early November,” said Andy Martin of Wild Rivers Fishing. “The estuary has slowed as big schools of kings have moved into the tidewater. Generally, boats can get down river with a little dragging at 800 cfs. Above 1,500 cfs, the lower river is an easy drift, although boats may bump bottom at Willow Riffle and above Moffit Rock. The gate at Ice Box is expected to remain closed until Nov. 3. Flows of 1,000 to 1,500 cfs are expected this weekend and early next week. At flows less than 2,000 cfs, boaters will have to fish next to bank anglers on the lower river. 

If rain comes in a little more than expected, the Elk and Sixes could become fishable, although a big surf could reduce the number of kings that move in from the ocean. The Rogue Bay is slow, with an occasional late king or coho moving through. Steelhead fishing has been disappointing upriver.”